A die-hard Aggie with numerous interests, Dr. Luther Lee Broaddus was recognized as a skilled dentist who practiced in San Antonio for more than 50 years.

“He did beautiful dental work,” said niece Jessie Allan Killian, who often got compliments from other dentists on the work her uncle had completed. “He was very, very good at what he did.”

He took care of everyone's teeth in his extended family for free and would work out payment arrangements for people without insurance, family members said.

“He truly was a dentist from the top of his head to the tip of his toes,” said Pamela Cherry Stines, a great-niece who remembers Broaddus quizzing young relatives about whether they were flossing as they should. “It was all about the teeth.”

Broaddus died in San Antonio on Feb. 23 after battling cancer. He was 84.

An intelligent man from a young age, Broaddus was born in Caldwell to a family filled with Texas A&M University graduates and supporters.

His great-great-grandfather, Andrew S. Broaddus, was a judge who was part of the commission that got the university started. So it was natural that Broaddus would go A&M.

He graduated with honors in only three years, his family said.

He also graduated at the top of his class from the Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas in 1954, and after two years in the Air Force began his dental career in San Antonio.

Known from childhood as “Buddy,” Broaddus established many loyal patients through his practice, first at an office on San Pedro Avenue and later on Vance Jackson Road. He worked until he was 80.

He also became a photography buff and an accomplished cook who loved hosting holiday gatherings at his home, where his pecan pies and turkey dressing became popular attractions.

Broaddus lived on a multi-acre tract near the Medical Center, where he cultivated vegetables and several varieties of pecan trees.

“He was in his element when he was either in his office or in his garden,” said Elaine Broaddus, a daughter-in-law.

Music was another of his lifelong loves. He played several instruments in high school and later taught himself the organ. That allowed him to indulge his deep passion for Texas A&M by playing the “Aggie War Hymn” whenever possible, family members said. “He was a consummate Aggie,” Killian said. “He absolutely lived and breathed A&M.”